Today was the launch of the 2012 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, from Blue Star Families (you can download the survey here.) I found a lot of the information presented interesting, but there was one thing in particular that caught my eye: the number of military families on food stamps has tripled in the last year.
I suspect there will be a few factors blamed for this: poor military pay, and spouses who have trouble finding a job (an issue also presented in the survey). But is that really the issue at play here?
The fact that military spouses struggle with finding employment has been getting a lot of play recently, and for good reason. You marry into the military, and that can have a huge effect on your career. A lot of employers understandably are wary of hiring military spouses, because they know that the employee they just hired very well could end up leaving with very little notice for any number of reasons. This life is unpredictable, and unpredictable doesn’t always mesh well with a long-term career.
In any case, let’s say that the spouse does have a job, one that pays well. The family is used to that extra paycheck, and they live comfortably. But then, they find out they have to PCS, and bam — bye bye, extra paycheck. Now the spouse can’t find a job at their new duty station in the same field or with the same decent paycheck, and suddenly, the family is struggling. It’s a very plausible scenario.
While I have absolutely no doubt that the above scenario does happen, I would be willing to bet that there’s a much simpler culprit at hand when it comes to reasons for military families needing financial assistance: lack of budgeting.
I know that we don’t make a lot of money as a military family. But let’s be honest: it’s not that bad. No, we will never be rich. But we have enough to get by. Most military families probably do, if they’re willing to live within their means. But do they?
There’s almost an ongoing joke about not buying cars at the car dealerships here, and making sure to drive the hour or so to another town. The reason is because the dealerships here will take you for all you’ve got. And why do they do that? Because they know they can. There are always Marines who just got a reenlistment bonus, or just got back from deployment, ready to drop a ton of cash on a nice, new car.
The point of that example is that, from what I see, a lot of people don’t live within their means. I’d be extremely curious to know, for example, how many of those families on food stamps also have cable, internet, and smart phones. How many of them bought a new car (or two) within the past year? How often do they go out to eat? Those kinds of expenses can drain a lot of money out of your paycheck, and it makes it easy for people to feel like they don’t have enough money to get by. After all, we’re used to that lifestyle in America. Just about everyone has a TV, cable, internet, decent cars, cell phones, etc. That includes military families as well. (And don’t get me started on how many Coach purses I see walking around Camp Lejeune.)
And while the argument isn’t that military families shouldn’t have those things (we certainly have all of them), it does make me think that the deeper issue here is not a lack of money available for bills and necessities, but poor budgeting and a lack of financial awareness. I also think that when you add in extremely young spouses, that problem is even more likely. Think about it — how savvy were you with your money when you were 20 years old? Learning to be strict with your money, and to budget carefully each month, isn’t always easy and it doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
Would this explain everyone on food stamps in the military? Of course not, and I am sure there are plenty of people on food stamps who genuinely have some kind of extenuating circumstances that are beyond their control. But I also do strongly believe that financial mismanagement is common in the military, and that would explain a lot of the people using food stamps, as well. After all, service members are given allowances for both food and housing, in addition to their base pay. Theoretically, it shouldn’t be an issue, but it is.
What would help solve this problem? Giving families the tools to better manage their money through budgeting classes and financial assistance would probably be a huge help. The problem is, those resources already exist. The issue is that military families don’t take advantage of them, probably because a lot of them don’t know that they exist. So to me, the question becomes, how do we better inform our families of the resources available to help them become more financially knowledgeable, so they can learn to budget properly and manage their money well?
I would be willing to bet that if the military was able to find a magic way to do that, the number of families on food stamps would dwindle.
Photo courtesy NCReedplayer
Part of the problem, too, is that while military pay has NOT gone up much, FOOD PRICES HAVE!
Bread in our Commissary has gone up 8 cents in the past two months…which isn’t a lot, HOWEVER it IS an 8% increase. And bread isn’t the only thing, either! It’s all going up.
Part of OUR problem at home is that we are eating healthier. Healthy food costs more! Vegetables and fruits cost more than snack food. Fresh costs more than canned or boxed (sodium is an issue in our house).
Budgeting is not always the problem…although a vast majority of our Families could use a class, or two. This time, it might also actually BE the prices. Gas prices aren’t coming down much, either…
…just sayin’…
I believe that eligibility for food stamps is computed mathematically, based on income, cost of living and number of persons in a family. What does that have to do with wise budgeting? Either you qualify for food stamps, or you don’t. Attacking your fellow military members and their spouses as bad managers will not raise their incomes or lower the cost of food.
I posted this on your Facebook posting but I wanted to post it here, as well, for everyone to see:
That piece was excellent because it illustrates a problem that Americans in this generation in general have and that’s a complete inability to budget and live within their means. To make it worse, the government has relaxed its standards for receiving SNAP benefits so you’re seeing increases across the board of people taking advantage of it. The Obama administration is continuing to send the same message that the Bush Administration sent which is to keep spending, even if you don’t have the money.
In 2005, Americans officially spent more money than they made and now, not only does this Administration tell us to go ahead and keep spending, they are also telling us not to worry because the government will subsidize your spending. The increase in food stamps has nothing to do with an increase in poverty but everything to do with a concerted effort by the Federal Government to make Americans as dependent on them as possible and unfortunately, we’re all signing up for the dependency.
It’s very difficult for people to resist the allure of what appears to be free money.
We are a family of 5 on an E4 pay grade, and I have seen families with only one or 2 children in the same pay grade needing assistance. We do, of course, QUALIFY for Food Stamps, but we do not use them at this time. We do, however, participate in the WIC program. We are very careful with our budget, but I also choose to stay home and homeschool our children. I do think it should be considered that even those of us that live within our means still technically QUALIFY for these programs based on the income range set forth, though we do have a choice whether or not to use it. Something that has come up for our family, personally, is that all 3 of our children have special needs that benefit from therapy (and a special diet, which is why we have chosen to at least recieve WIC because, as mentioned, healthy foods cost more)- therapy Tricare doesn’t cover unless their PCM gives them a very specific diagnosis with a label of being “severe.” Our children are considered “moderate,” so although they are still recommended to recieve therapy we have to choose to pay out of pocket (which is impossible on that salary regardless of how well we budget) or accept government help. In that case I’m not going to put my children at risk of not being able to receive help they NEED, so the choice is made for us. I believe those are the type of circumstances to which you’re referring, though!
I do often see others making the same amount as us with less children struggling because they have new cars, cable with DVR, etc. In those situations, I admit it’s kind of irritating to hear complaints because I think the answer is obvious there are unnecessary luxuries that can definitely be minimized to save money, and there are many resources available to us to help!
What I’m curious about and I don’t see addressed is if we in the military have more children than others. That is a huge financial responsiblity. Tie that in with inflation and the need for instant gratification mentioned above, and it’s easy for a young family to be in over their head.
It all comes down to class warfare. People still wan’t to criticize those who are serving our country. Children of military
service members are supposed to go through the stress of having a parent who might not come back with little support. Don’t you think that supporting military families it is the least that we can do.
Where do I start !?? E 4 /familily of 5 Geesh! What made you think of Having 3 kids ? Military pay is graduated byLevels E1-E9 ,Yes!. you get extra for being Married But! where is your Responsibility to each Child ? Someone Didnt do a Good Job in explaining familily life in the Service . I know! Recruiters Lied !NO! research was not done on the Varibels of How much we get,Where to live !How many Children can we afford, New car or Used . BUDGET items . Extra Job , Live comfortable !!! Wrong Expectations spells Trouble .Just for Kicks ! A, E 5 ,with over 2yrs ,in1959 was making $180.00 a Month,if you had flight Skins ,$50 more . Thats a Single person. Married maybe $150.00 more . Ah! yes ! things were Cheaper ,Gas 23cents a gallon, milk 12 Cts .But over 3/4 of the Enlisted in the Whole Navy, Didnt own a Car Couldnt afford one ,Hitched hiked every where (including Families)Most E6/7 had used cars . There was no safety Net including Food stamps . OH! they used to get paid Extra ,for every other Child. Which Started to Produce Base Ball teams . Back in the 60s ,the Pay rates went up so much that the sailors called themseves ,Rich!! First thing to Buy was a Brand New Car, and other electronic gadgets and eventully over spent! lots of Capts Masts for Non Payment ! Carreers Gone ! So when the Decission to have (Yes! Decission ) More Children than your Pay will allow for. The Children Bear the Brunt ( Not talking about Twins or Trips ) Stress and lots of Arguements ,because of Needs of the Govt NO ! one in Civillian Life gets extra Pay for a Wife or Children. They Live on their Pay from one job, or three ! Yes ! its hard times and the Military is filled with Uncertainty. Needs of the Navy plays a Big Role In todays World . Every Sailor I see come out of Oceana ,has a New Car and is not paying Property Tax that the Civillians Do ,They also dont get all the free concerts ,10% off at most stores 30 day vacations (1 yr off with pay every 12 yrs of service ) and pay raises ,every yr Yeah! Affortable Heath Care.Lots of other goodies . Yes ! its dangerous ! Police and Firefighters feel that too! Im not taking anything away from Sailors ,only putting it in Prepective. . How do I know all this ? Spent 4 yrs USN (E 5 ) and 37 yrs a SelRes . Retired a Chief
Exactly what I was thinking!! Why the eff do you have so many kids knowing you’re only going to get so much money to support them. Me and my husband are both active duty Navy and we have one kid. We are comfortable and content with that and I’m appalled at how many people tell me to get out and have more kids! Equally appalling is how many times I’ve been encouraged to apply for Wic or food stamps. I understand how rough it can be for some people, but why make things rougher by having more children assuming the government will take care of you? The only person who can take care of you is you.
Hubby is an e-4. We live comfortably off his salary with one baby. We would go in debt with two kids. People are stupid and think another kid will save their marriage… It doesn’t.
Some people have triplets the first time out. Don’t judge what you don’t know.
Lesa Ketron !!
I feel your Pain ,But I cant reach you ! Sardistic I Know !
You and only you Chose this type of Life ! if your the Spouse! Children ! yes ! its Tough ! that in reallity, is the luck of the draw with Parents ! Blame them not us ! What do you expect from a Combat Organization ! We train to kill the Enemy of our Country ,not go to College . Firefighters/police /truck Drivers, Never know when their lites will go out ! Your Not alone ! Class Warfare is a Joke ! not part of the Equasion The families in the Military ,are loaded with surport activities . You are miss informed of what you have available to you. There are always be people against anything . Thats life ! Stand up Smartly . Your family is part of only 5% of this Country that has decided to Protect our way of life, by putting it on the Front Burner. Smile youll be a Better person for it ! Be Proud !!
I loved this article. It is so true, and I have seen this all with my own eyes. However, I don’t completely agree to the comment that the families are unaware of the resources available. I believe that most do know what is available, but they choose not to use them because they don’t want to admit that they are spending their money the wrong way. They don’t want to give up the good but unnecessary things that they have and enjoy when they have the option to get free food from some other source. Plus, there’s also the fact that not too many people want someone telling them how they should be spending their money, even if the person giving the budgeting class is correct. People don’t care about that. They care about what they want, and as long as food stamps and other forms of assistance are easily available, they’ll continue to spend their money irresponsibly.
I’m surprised people are even able to get on food stamps? My husband is in the army and is at the E3 rank. We have three children. I used to have a job and life was fine then but because of my health issues in the past year I can no longer work. In fact I have continued to try and I was “let go” from two jobs because my issue is with my eyes and I could not preform the job duties well enough. I want to work so bad it isn’t even funny so please do not berate me for not being able to.
We applied for food stamps and were denied because my husband’s paycheck brought in $15.00 dollars too much for us to qualify. Fifteen! Really? Anyway, I get that too many people think things are necessities when they are not. We only applied after we had cut down our lifestyle. We own one car and only drive it for buying groceries or my husband to go to work. My husband has an older cell phone(given to him from a family member who upgraded) and is on a family plan with his family to save money. If we could get rid of it we would but his job needs him to have one. I do not have a phone. I plan and cook/bake everything. I spend 200.00 every 2 weeks to feed a family of five. Our only luxury is a cheap internet connection because we chose to. If an emergency came up it would be the first thing to go, no second thoughts. We really struggle but are happy.
We don’t need the extras others consider to be necessity but it would be nice to know that I don’t have to stay up worrying myself sick at night when something comes up and I have to figure out where to pull it from. It would also be nice to not have to worry about not having enough to eat or having to struggle to buy fresh produce. I just don’t understand how the hell these people are on welfare when the ones who could use it can’t even get on it. This absolutely blows my mind.
We’re a family of 7 on E-3 pay. We had four kids prior to him joining up and another when overseas. We have two completely paid off vehicles (not new but not too old, either). We have cable TV and Internet, one smartish phone one regular cell phone. We budget like crazy and don’t go without. I don’t understand where others struggle. I don’t consider ourselves lucky, just money smart. We both had great civilian jobs for years before a sense of duty and patriotism had him joining up. Yes… it was a drastic pay cut but its the price we were willing to pay as our family did its duty to our country.
This is very true! Military families are NOT poor. Never rich, but John and I are well off -at least enough so that we have never had less than $20 in our account (except when we had to pay that unexpected $400 out of pocket to send John to Afghanistan -go figure. But hey, we HAD it and did not go in the hole!). And yes, we have two kids to feed and care for, but there IS ENOUGH to provide for the family. We just don’t order pizza every night or buy a TON of snacks (who needs the extra calories, anyway? lol). With proper budgeting, we can even afford the occasional weekend trip or date nights (although our date night fund has never been used because finding someone willing to watch your kids even though you’ve watched theirs a ton of times is a WHOLE ‘nother ballgame!
) May I suggest the envelope system backed up by an emergency fund?
And yeah, we’re e3 and I don’t make more than $10 a month from my books I write, if that (even though they are selling well). lol
I think the problem lies in the people who don’t actually ‘need’ it, but get it just because they ‘qualify.’ If you truly need the assistance, that’s fine, but if you’re walking around in designer clothes, carrying a designer bag, texting on an iPhone, with perfectly cut hair and freshly manicured nails, and you pull out your welfare EBT card to pay for groceries, the cashier should be legally allowed to slap you.
That being said, my husband and I were dual-military until I separated in 2009, meaning our income was cut by more than half when I did. We also went overseas shortly after I separated and I was planning on getting a civilian job once we got here, but our location ended up meaning I couldn’t find a job that would make using the CDC worth it, so instead, I’m a SAHM that’s getting my MBA so I can get a job (hopefully) once we get back to the States. But if I can’t, we’ll survive. I’m using my GI Bill, so we don’t have to worry about paying for the degree, so even if I can’t use it, I’ll still have it.
Now, we live within our means, but we also live fairly well. We don’t go without things we want (within reason; we don’t buy a new car every year (our current car is 6 years old), but we collectively love our electronic devices), we spoil our child rotten (yep, only one, we figured out what caused them and got that fixed), we still put a ton of money in the bank (savings, an IRA, TSP, 529), and we have NO DEBT (outside of the occasional online purchase that is put on a credit card to cover us until it arrives, and then it’s paid off).
It’s about being responsible with your money, not buying things to keep up with the neighbors (yes, everyone knows what everyone makes, but you never know when someone has rich parents who are footing the bill, a spouse that has an amazing job, or just came into an inheritance). We’ve never even considered applying for any form of assistance, even though we would have probably qualified once I separated. We never needed to, and believe that assistance should be there for those people who honestly need it.
Also, my husband is an E5, so if you’re thinking ‘Officer Wife,’ you’d be wrong.
Where to start. One how many of you here have gone and risked your life over seas for this country? I love just making it by every month after I have risked my life in two different theaters of combat. That is what I love just barely scraping by even with the best budgeting plan there is I still barely make it. Before anyone comments and says well joining was your choice, yes it was, it was also made even easier because of how many American men do not join. So if anyone here has a problem with Military members getting a little bit of help from the very country they fought for well maybe you should pack your stuff and move. Also if it is so easy to get food stamps then why do I scrape by month after month with a wife and two kids, cause I dont rate them I am not even A high ranking Marine. Thats just a little something to chew on. Do not email me back because frankly I do not care what you have to say. Cpl Green
Another issue that has yet to be addressed is how drastically the price of gas has gone up in the last several years! A SrA’s gas budget today will not go as far as a it did 5 yrs ago. And please don’t tell me that they should live on base, because we all know that housing doesn’t work that way – it’s a total crap shoot if you’ll get base housing or not. At our last base the wait list was over 2 yrs long and the base was approximately 25 miles from town, where we lived and I worked and our children went to school – and we lived there for just shy of 3 yrs. So my husband was driving 250 miles or more a week, just to get to work. He is an NCO so it’s not so bad for us but I was very glad as gas prices jumped over $3 this year that we had PCS’d and were fortunate enough to get base housing at our new base! I am also a spouse struggling to find a job at a new base, which unfortunately dropped our income by roughly $1000/mo. We have no cable, a basic internet plan and cell phones for long distance. Our only debt is one small cc for emergencies, braces for the pre-teen, our cars and my student loans – nothing terribly extravagant. But yet no matter how well you budget, ‘little things’ always come up – an emergency trip home, a car that needs fixed, etc. And even with the best of savings, that can literally be wiped out in a matter of a phone call and take months to replenish. I think many of the problems military families face, ALL families face right now.
Between gas prices and food prices going up, it is harder and harder for families to budget well and the same basic necessities cost more. I shop for my family of 5 at the commissary, coupon (not extreme), and watch for sales at the various off base grocery stores. I spend roughly $200/pay period on groceries plus a bit more if we happen to run out of milk or fresh veggies. And I know my $200 budget does NOT go as far as it used to – and I shop the same way – generic/store brands, as much fresh as possible, and meal plan for about 2 wks at a time.
(Oh and to the person that says you get paid more for the more children you have – that’s wrong…you get paid the same if you’re married with no kids or if you’re married with 6 kids…it doesn’t go up per the number of dependents the active duty member has.)
SAHM Marine (E-6) wife with four children. I do believe in budgeting, no matter what your source of income. Military families don’t neccessarily have it harder than our civilian counterparts, just different. We move roughly every 3 years, wchich makes pay fluctuate with rising or falling BAH rates. Spouses have a harder time finding a job, or getting proper state certifications because their old certifications aren’t accepted in their new state. But that’s all after the fact. We need to start from the beginning, when that young E-2 decides he wants to marry his high school sweet heart. What happened to having to get permission from the command to get married? I think that would avoid so many issues- divorce rate, “contract marriages”, and money issues. Make budgeting classes a requirement before getting married. Teach the young finace how to read an LES, where to go for assistance and what can happen to her husband if that shiny new car gets repoed. I wish someone had shown me when I was that 19yr old wife. We learned by trial and error.
who is ANYONE to judge ANYONE else b/c they have a certain number of children and are at a lower rank?!??!?!?!
do YOU know what their situation was!?!?!? were YOU there when things happened!?!??!!
NO.
these comments made me SO angry!!!!
a LOT of people (me included) joined the military at a later age —
how are you to know that someone with 3 children had a great life until their company got bought out, and they had no other choice but to join the military?
how do you know that the family with 3 children didn’t have a person that made the SVM realize that his calling was to be a military man — LATER IN LIFE???
you know NOTHING about this family and all the people that have made negative comments about people having too many children should be ashamed of themselves.
judge not lest ye be judged…
and no one knows what storms God asks any other person to walk through — so the judgmental negative comments –grow up. get a clue, and get over yourself… sorry we aren’t all perfect like you.
They get food stamps because they can. Do you think that the misogyny, hypocrisy, racism and nepotism in the US military guarantees honor amongst troops?
These assholes are also happy to sell their children out as well.
HINT* having meal tickets IS child abuse.
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How does a soldier get Food Stamps. I didn’t know that was posible. Does anyone know about Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance FSSA? It is $1,515.00 over and beyond your BAS which is $352.27. Now add up those numbers and ask yourself, how is it possible they are still on food stamps?????
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/fssa/
There is so much stigma behind using food stamps. I sense so many people at the grocery story feels embarrass using it. I recently found a new product online, food stamp skins, which allow you to personalize your food stamps card, ebt card. Now you can protect your privacy and pay with ease! check it out and help yourself… http://www.foodstampscovers.com